This site serves as a comprehensive, online archive of documents and history related to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA). Here you can find the text of the law, legislative history, congressional hearings, Supreme Court cases, federal regulations, policy and advocacy documents and additional information related to the passage of the original ADA and the ADAAA. The majority of these documents are explained or cited in the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, an article by Chai Feldblum, Kevin Barry and Emily Benfer. The article also provides an overview and history of the ADA and ADAAA.

* Please note that this site will be updated on a continual basis with additional documents and descriptions as they are created and become available. Please visit regularly to see what's new!

Please use the links below to view documents from specific time periods, or feel free to browse:

Congress enacted the ADA in 1990 to "provide a clear and comprehensive national mandate for the elimination of discrimination against individuals with disabilities." The ADA broadened protection and promoted the inclusion, integration and empowerment of Americans with disabilities. Over time, Supreme Court decisions whittled away at the definition of disability, narrowing the protections available to citizens and eroding the intent of the law.

In 2008, with the enactment of the ADAAA, the Nation reaffirmed its commitment to protecting against discrimination and to truly opening the doors of opportunity to all people with disabilities.

2008 and the ADA Amendments Act

The ADAAA restores the original purpose of the ADA by focusing on the discrimination at issue instead of the individual's disability.

The U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives both unanimously passed the ADAAA. President Bush officially signed the ADAAA into law on September 25, 2008 -- eighteen years and two months after his father signed the original ADA.

Text and Summary of the ADAAA:

- ADA Amendments Act , (Senate Bill 3406), as enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives on September 17, 2008

- Fact Sheet on People Covered Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and People Not Covered by the ADA, from the Georgetown Law Federal Legislation Clinic. (This chart was attached as an appendix to Chai Feldblum's testimony before the Senate HELP Committee on Nov. 15, 2007; Senator Harkin also used this chart during his testimony at the same hearing.)

- Fact Sheet on The Effects of the Supreme Court's Decisions on Americans with Disabilities, from the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities

News and Media

- Videos of the Press Conference following the final passage of the ADAAA by the House of Representatives, from the Epilepsy Foundation (September 2008)

Before members of Congress and the disability community developed the ADA Restoration Act, a series of Supreme Court decisions triggered the beginning of a conversation about the definition of disability under the ADA.

In 1990, after several rounds of negotiations and hearings, Congress enacted the ADA and, in doing so, marked a significant advancement for the civil rights of people with disabilities. The ADA provided comprehensive protections against disability discrimination in employment, public services, public accommodation and services operated by private entities, transportation and telecommunications.

- Press Release from Georgetown University Law Center on the passage of the ADA Amendments Act, September 2008

- Testimony of North Dakota Department of Labor before the ND Human Services Committee on HB 1092, a bill to amend the disability definition in the North Dakota Human Rights Act to follow the definition adopted by the ADA Amendments Act (January 7, 2009). The ND Department of Labor Commissioner proposed that the definition of disability apply to public accommodations as well as employment. Click here to read the bill, HB 1092, itself.

- Rohr v. Salt River Project, No. 06-16527 (9th Cir. 2009) - ruling from the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals holding that a man with insulin dependent type-2 diabetes qualifies as disabled under the ADA as originally passed. The court also held, however, that the ADA Amendments Act can be considered when examining cases under the original ADA as the Act "sheds light on Congress' original intent when it enacted the ADA." Click here to read the Los Angeles Times article on the decision.